The Daily Theme
by AllysonH
Summary: A collection of short stories that I'll update frequently. All revolve around Booth and Brennan, of course, and each day will have a specific theme. It will humorous, it will be romantic, it will be angsty, but it will NEVER be cliché!
1. Introduction

_Ally's Note: Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I'm stuck at home with a double infection on one of my eyes, which the doctor predicted is going to take at least two weeks to heal. It's very painful to look into the light (of day, computers, or otherwise), so I can't write entire chapters, but someone suggested the idea of writing drabbles instead. The themes are bases on the '100 themes challenge'. I hope you enjoy!_

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><p><strong>The Daily Theme<strong>

Chapter 1: Introduction

_Dedicated to my Twitterfriend (at)obsessedwithtv, who is one of my first and closest online friends and a big fan of this idea._

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><p>Booth had to admit that they had gotten off to a terrible start. It was supposed to be a simple dinner where they could discuss things. Lately, keeping their partnership professional on the job had become quite a challenge. If he forgot to close the cap of the tooth paste at home, Brennan would comment on the fact that he never forgot to close his pen, while he was taking notes on a crime scene. On the other hand, if Brennan forgot to eat breakfast andor bring lunch to work, Booth would come over to the lab and hand her the food in front of all the squints, asking what kind of damage starvation would do to her bones. People were becoming involved in business that was supposed to stay strictly between them.

Dining out, they had decided, was the perfect neutral place to sort some things out between them. The only problem was that when they arrived at the restaurant, the place turned out to be booked for the entire night. They had retreated back to the car in silence and Brennan had slammed the door as she got inside. She glared at him with a locked jaw and stern looking eyes. "I had told you to make a reservation, didn't I? Then we wouldn't have had to come all the way out here for nothing."

"All the way out here?" Booth snapped, raising his voice at her. "As I recall, our plan originally involved us taking a vacation together. To Europe, but _you_ cancelled!"

Luckily, they were in a parking lot and not yelling to each other in the middle of the street, like last week. They had made quite a scene, but the argument had gotten to passionate and heated that neither of them had cared anymore. A red flush spread across her cheeks, which was visible even through her make-up. "Well, I'm sorry, but I was a little pre-occupied giving birth to the baby that _you_ knocked me up with!"

Booth's eyes flared in anger. She loved their little girl. They both did. This was just another one of their bickering episodes, quickly spiraling out of control. It had lost all its meaning and now they were only battling to get the upper hand. "Why weren't you on the pill?"

"Why didn't you use a condom?" She countered effectively. She raised her eyebrows derogatorily and Booth paused in his next response. He took a few minutes to look at her. Her hair was lying on her shoulders in beautiful loose waves and she had put on that little black dress, which she knew he liked so much. She had made an effort to look good for him. She knew things had been tense between them. It was a challenge coping with all the new tasks and feelings that came with parenthood as well as juggling a full-time career that had entirely different responsibilities. They had both been on the edge and the only area in which they were still able to communicate lately, seemed to be the bedroom.

"I'm sorry," Booth said. "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of this." Brennan's lips parted and Booth sighed sadly. He glanced at her one last time and felt his heart sink as she looked away. "You know what? Let's start over." Without waiting for an answer, Booth took the keys from the car and opened the door.

"Start over?" Brennan repeated the words out loud. Her brows furrowed into a frown as Booth got out of the car and closed his door again. He jogged around the front of the car, until he reached her door. He gently pulled it open and moved to stand beside her. He held out his hand to her and smiled sweetly.

"Hello. I'm special agent Seeley Booth. It's very nice to meet you, miss…?" His voice trailed off.

Brennan looked down at him from the car. Was he serious? She had been pent up enough to grab him by his collar and yank him towards her, across his seat. Now, he was just standing there with an outstretched hand, looking so invitingly and oh, he had the warmest brown eyes… Brennan swallowed nervously before smiling back at him and placing her cool hand softly inside his. "I'm doctor Temperance Booth—I mean, Brennan. I'm doctor Temperance Brennan."

She led herself be led out of his car by his supporting hand. When she looked back up at him again, she caught him looking back at her. "Do you believe in fate?"

"Absolutely not," she sent him a playful grin, "…but maybe you could change my mind."

Booth's smile widened, revealing his teeth. "I will definitely try," and with that, he leaned in towards her slender frame and kissed her. With his hand, he fingered the golden wedding ring on her finger, before tightening his hold on her. The lip gloss she was wearing tasted like cherry and he captured her bottom lip between his own expertly, sucking it gently. Cherry was his favorite. What a coincidence.

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><p><em>Ally's Note: Okay, so maybe it was a little longer than a drabble. I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. Your reviews and a short story a day should hopefully keep my (eye)doctor away. <em>

_Tomorrow: The theme will be 'love'. Oh, the endless possibilities! Anything you want to read?_


	2. Love

_Ally's Note: Okay, so I suck at writing drabbles with less than 500 words. Oh well, I guess it will just be a collection of short stories, then…_

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><p><strong>The Daily Theme<strong>

Chapter 2: Love

_Inspired by the idea of _**moonserenity089**_, who came up with a some great suggestions for this theme. Thank you for sharing it with me!_

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><p>"Hi," Booth greeted Brennan and the rest of the squints as he climbed the steps up to the forensic platform. He was carrying a folder in his hand which he held up in the air as he approached them. Brennan was standing next to an autopsy table, along with Cam, Hodgins and intern Clark Edison. They all turned to look at him, except for Brennan.<p>

She glanced at him quickly, before looking away again. "Hi, Booth." He waved with the folder in his hand. She adjusted the light to shine on a few suspicious spots on the femur of the skeleton. "You see this? Marks like these indicate bone mineralization deficiency. It does not suggest brittle bone disease, for this person has never broken a bone is his life, so I think this result fits more along the lines of endocrine and electrolyte derangements in the body." For some reason, instead of telling Clark, she raised herself up to smile at Booth. "This person suffered from chronic kidney disease. Possibly, he was a hemodialysis patient. "

Booth got caught up in her smile for a few seconds and encountered a little trouble in finding his next few words. He spoke up quickly when he noticed Hodgins narrowing his eyes at him in suspicion. "Excellent, Bones. That's why I came over to bring you his file. The victim, Shaun Peterson, suffered from End Stage Venereal Disease." Booth handed over the folder to Cam, who was grinning widely in amusement.

"I'm sure you meant to say 'End Stage _Renal_ Disease', right? Because venereal…is something else entirely," she spoke with smiling eyes as she quickly flicked through Booth's folder. Booth shrugged his shoulders and placed his hands on his hips.

"That's what I said! Renal disease! With the kidneys and stuff." Booth defended.

Brennan shook her head. "No, you said 'venereal disease' which means a sexually transmitted disease." When his eyes met hers, she took a deep breath and spoke in a much softer voice, "…but venereal diseases are a lot more common and is addressed more often as a topic, in our society nowadays. It's very understandable that you would confuse these two words with each other."

Cam and Hodgins shared a questioning look, which had gone unnoticed by Booth and Brennan. Clark tried to ignore the scene in front of him as much as he could and stubbornly continued to look at the body's femur. "Thank you, Bones." Cam handed him the folder back. "Shall I put this in your office?"

"Actually, I'll walk with you to my office." Brennan said, snapping off her latex gloves and throwing them away in the bin next to the autopsy table. "I have some things that I would like to discuss with you." She stepped past Hodgins and walked over to Booth's side.

"About the case?" Cam questioned with a naughty smile.

Brennan paused in her steps to look back at her boss. She felt a familiar blush creep up her cheeks. "Of course! I-I….have some documents there that Booth should take a look at." She quickly turned away from her colleagues and walked down the steps, off of the platform.

"Have fun," Hodgins commented, joining Cam in the teasing. Booth turned around as he followed Brennan to her office and made a 'zip it' movement with his hand, before pointing to his gun. "Uh-oh," Hodgins muttered when they were far out of earshot.

"I know," Cam commented. "Those two are sleeping together." Clark exclaimed a loud 'Oh, dear lord' and walked away from the autopsy table to look something up in a computer. On the other side of the platform. Cam thought hard for a moment. "Finally! Didn't your wife ever mention anything about this?"

"No, she did not." Hodgins replied. He was staring at the two figures now standing in Brennan's office, keeping a measured distance between each other. "Do you think we should just tell them that we know?"

Cam shook her head with a bright smile. "No, let's just leave them alone." She took a step back towards the autopsy table. "I'm enjoying watching them trying to keep it a secret just a little too much…"

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><p>Booth automatically went into worried-mode the minute he closed the door behind himself when they had entered her office. She had turned back towards him very slowly and she was studying him up and down in a very nervous manner. "Bones, what did you want to talk to me about?"<p>

She crossed her arms in front of her chest protectively. "About the fact that I have come to love you." Her face remained serious, while Booth's broke out in a smile. He chuckled softly. They had been dating for several months now. He had kissed her over a hundred times and made love to her on several occasions. He knew how she felt about him, but this was the first time that she voiced it out loud. It made sense for her to say it here; she always felt comfortable and safe at the Jeffersonian. Any other person would bring it up in the privacy of their house or over a candlelit dinner, but not his Bones.

"I love you too, baby. I hope that you know that," Booth spoke in a moderate tone. He saw Brennan take a deep breath and shifting her weight from one leg onto the other.

"I do know that, but…it's just not enough." She shrugged her shoulders. "Staying over two nights a week is suddenly not satisfactory anymore. I wish I could be with you more." Booth's mouth fell open in pleasant surprise. "I'm sorry if I'm startling you with this, but you have always pressed the issue that honesty is so important in a relationship, so I felt that I should tell you."

Booth felt his heart dance in his chest. If it had not been for these glass walls allowing everyone to look at them, he would have gathered her up in his arms and kissed her until they both ran out of oxygen. "You know what? I'm going to give you a key," Booth reached inside his pocket and took out his keychain and took one key off. "This one gives you unlimited access to my apartment, at any time of the day, any day of the week." She held out her hand and Booth placed it gently on her palm. She grasped it gratefully.

"You don't think I'm too needy?" The cool metal felt pleasant in her warm hand.

Booth shook his head. "No, on the contrary, I would love to have you around more." Brennan shoved the key in the pocket of her jeans. "…and you look so incredible underneath my sheets. I could never complain when I get to see more of that." He reassured her with a playful grin, to which Brennan responded with one of her own.

Suddenly, the distance between them became too great for both of them to bear. Brennan grabbed a small pile of papers from her desk and handed them to Booth. "Why don't you go and check out these documents in the Egyptian room? I will come in after a few minutes and then…I'll explain some old dialysis techniques to you."

Booth flicked through the papers. They were ordinary white sheets for her printer. Nothing was on them. Booth looked back up at her in amusement. "Yeah, that would be really beneficial to the case. I need a… better understanding of the victim's condition."

"I will be right over." Booth turned around with a polite nod and walked out of her office. Brennan led out an uncharacteristic giggle after the door closed behind him. "What is happening to me?" she questioned the air as she shoved her hand in her pocket to touch the house key that Booth had just given to her. With the tip of her finger, she traced the sharp edges of the key and she bit on her lip to keep herself from smiling and making everyone suspicious. This is it, she thought. This is what it feels like to completely lose yourself in someone and not giving a damn about finding a way back.

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><p><em>Ally's Note: I completely forgot about kidney disease awareness week last week in the Netherlands. That is REALLY bad from me, because my twin sister is a hemodialysis patient! So I thought I'd mention a vic having it here. One of the B's on dialysis during a 'love' theme seemed inappropriate, even to me. <em>

_Do you like these daily short stories? If you do, please let me know! This fic hasn't gained a lot of attention (yet). I appreciate all you readers AND reviewers. Some of you have been with me ever since I first started writing 'Hiatus' and I'm really grateful to still have you with me!_

_Tomorrow: The theme will be 'light'. Anything in particular that you want me to roll with? Hungover B&B? Someone with a double eye-infection and light-intolerance(haha!)? A church scene? _


	3. Light

_Ally's Note: Thank you so much, everyone who took the time to review the last chapter. I appreciate it a lot! That keeps me going on a daily basis._

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><p><strong> The Daily Theme<strong>

Chapter 3: Light

_Based upon your votes on the options I suggested for this theme and on _**DLillith21**_'s suggestion__. Thank you for sharing your preferences!_

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><p>Brennan awoke to the sharp sound of an alarm clock ringing. Penetrating the depths of her sleep, she was startled at the realization that this alarm clock was not her own. She heard the grown of a tired body beside her and she sat up straight in shock, dragging the sheets all the way up to her chin. A sharp pain shot through her head as she did so and she closed her eyes in a vain effort to shut the sensation out. When she felt the person beside her move and smack the shrieking sound of the alarm off, she cracked a single eye open to look at him. "Booth?"<p>

"Bones! Good morning!" He was then greeted by a hard punch against his right shoulder. "Ow! What the hell?" His surprised eyes met her flaring ones.

"You did it, didn't you?" When she took notice of the confused look on his face, she felt herself grow even more angry. "You had sex with me while I was in an intoxicated state! How could you take advantage of me like that?" She shifted her weight angrily.

Booth felt that she could launch herself at him again at any time, so he quickly kicked the sheets off of his legs and stepped out of bed. He felt dizzy when he stood up straight and steadied himself against the window sill in front of him. He turned back at the angry woman who was glaring daggers at him from his bed. "What? No, of course not! I would never do such a thing to you! You should know that by now!"

"Then how did I end up in your bed with my clothes nowhere to be found?" She cocked her head suspiciously, but she could practically feel her brain tilt to the side with it and she quickly sat up straight again.

Booth shook his head. "You're still wearing panties."

"But my bra is missing!"

Booth's eyes scanned the room, but it was yet too dark to see anything yet. "Nothing happened, don't you remember? Do you remember anything at all?" With one hand he grasped the curtain in front of his bedroom window and yanked it to the side. The almost blinding sunlight enveloped the both of them and lit every brain cell on fire.

Suddenly, all Brennan's modesty was forgotten as she hurriedly jumped out of bed and ran towards Booth's bathroom. With squinted eyes, Booth followed her sprint out of the room and he was soon alerted to the sound of her retching. He felt his own stomach turn, but he was unsure if it was because of his own hangover, or because he was feeling guilty for upsetting her. With a gentle tug, he closed the curtain again and he resorted to a small light on his night stand instead.

As Brennan emptied her stomach in Booth's toilet, she closed her eyes against the stinging tears. She had not felt sore or otherwise uncomfortable when she had leaped into the bathroom, so she could only conclude that Booth had been telling the truth and that they had not had sex with each other last night.

She felt a little startled when she felt someone covering her shoulders and her back with a robe. Her hair was pulled back from the sides of her face and gently tucked away on her back. When she had finally disposed of everything, she leaned back with her eyes closed and felt Booth hand her a warm, wet washcloth. She cleaned her face before handing it back and he offered her a pair of shades. They were his own, but he really needed to shield her from the light penetrating the bathroom. There were no curtains here.

Brennan accepted them and put them on after pulling the rope closed around her. She eyed him through the sunglasses and looked him up and down. He was only wearing his boxers. He did not look half as miserable as she did. "How come you're not hungover? You kept refilling both of our glasses at the bar last night. That, I do remember."

Booth flushed the toilet and filled a glass of water for her. "Oh, I am hungover. Just not as bad as you are."

"That must mean that I drank more than you did," she gratefully took a sip from the cold water and let it run down her burning throat. "I handle my liquor very well."

Booth groaned as he looked up and was again met by a sharp ray of damned sunshine. "Bones, it doesn't really matter. We both have a day off. I'll go fix us something sobering to drink and maybe some dry toast. Then you can go back to lying on the couch. That's where your clothes are. Your bra is hanging from the lamp next to your side of the bed." Wait, she had her own side on his bed, now? "I mean… Bones, I really didn't sleep with you. I mean yes, I slept with you, but I didn't actually—"

"Have intercourse," Brennan finished for him. "I know. I'm sorry, I woke in a slight panic. I've never woken up naked in your bed before." She finished her water and placed the cup down next to her. She wanted to stay here just a little while longer, just in case this liquid was going to make its way back up again. "So, what did happen?"

Booth sighed and decided to sit down next to her, leaning his back against his bathtub. "Oh well, where should I start?" Brennan raised a questioning eyebrow. "I went to the bar, after my break-up with Hannah. You came in to find me there, later. I told you to either drink with me or leave me alone. You chose to have a drink with me."

"I remember that," Brennan said, thinking back, suddenly feeling bad for having punched and accused him before. "But what happened after one drink turned into many more?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I called a cab for the both of us. I had no intention of having sex with you, I promise. It's just that, you had already puked in the alley and I didn't have a good feeling about dropping you off alone in your apartment like that." Booth swallowed. "And I was intoxicated too and I appreciated your company, so I proposed I'd let you stay over at my apartment."

"Somewhere I must've said 'no'."

"Of course. You were bickering with me on how well you could deal with being drunk and hungover on your own, but when I said that I needed you…"

Brennan looked up at him. "You needed me?"

"Yes. You were the only reason why I was still keeping it together after another rejected proposal. So, I settled you down on the couch, because you didn't want to take my bed away from me because of my back and of course, some more feminist reasons. Then, later at night, you came to my bed, in your underwear and you laid down beside me. You took off the bra before you went to sleep, because you claimed it was uncomfortable."

Brennan's jaw dropped. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why did I suddenly decide to get into bed with you?" Brennan questioned, somehow having a bad feeling about what was to come.

Booth shrugged his shoulders, but Brennan noticed how he swallowed nervously before answering. "It doesn't really matter. You know, we were both drunk. It was just a spur of the moment thing."

Brennan shook her head. "I somehow find that hard to believe. Even intoxicated, I managed to think about your back. I was still reasoning with you about being independent. I must've had a reason to lie down next to you." Booth did not say anything and continued to stare down at his feet. Then suddenly, something clicked in Brennan's mind. "Wait, did _I _try to have sex with you?"

Booth shook his head. "No."

"Then what, Booth? You're stalling!" Even hangovers did not subdue her intelligence and reasoning skills and Booth knew there was no way out than admit the truth. Taking one last deep sigh, he took the plunge:

"You told me that you loved me," he spoke in a soft voice, watching her eyes widen in shock. "…and you said you'd make sure that I would never be alone again."

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><p><em>Ally's Note: Oh my God, that must be the meanest open endingcliffhanger that I have ever written. This is why you should always drink responsibly, kids. Otherwise, you might say things you'd rather keep to yourself. I should know…_

_According to my doctor, my eye is going to take AT LEAST another whole week to recover. So, you'll have more short stories to look forward to in the next few days. Let me know if you like it! _

_Tomorrow: The theme will be 'dark'. I have an idea about a fluffier chapter (to make up for this one, haha!) where B&B are taking a 'therapeutic' emergency response course together. What do you think? _


	4. Dark

_Ally's Note: I hope this one will make for a good start to your weekend! TGIF, everyone!_

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><p><strong>The Daily Theme<strong>

Chapter 4: Dark

_Inspired by my own Emergence Response Officer training. I did great on my firefighting courses, except for putting a simple lid on a flaming pan... I always resulted to dropping it, instead of gently placing it down._

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><p>"Alright, we're going to do some practical exercises in which you'll show me what to do in case of a fire. I have taught you all about smoke and categories of fire in our theoretical classes, so if you have been paying attention, you should know exactly what to do and this won't be much of a puzzle." Firefighter Ed explained to the group of trainees, taking an emergency response course. Amongst them were Booth and Brennan, who were standing next to each other and looking into the practice room. Behind Ed was a seemingly normal living room. The sofa looked rather cheap, but it had a television and several lamps and children's toys on the floor.<p>

Booth yawned. He had been sleeping through most of the lectures. Brennan had woken him up several times by giving him a not-so-gentle nudge against his shoulder. She glared at him in annoyance, but he tried to soften her by sending her his infamous charm smile. "Come on, Bones. Sweets made us do this. I don't have to like it."

She placed her hands on her hips and leaned in towards him, speaking in a softer voice so she did not disturb the firefighter. "Sweets wants to re-evaluate our ability to work together now that we're involved intimately. This man is going to refer his observations and conclusions to Sweets, after we have finished this course. We should do well, to prove that we're still capable of maintaining a professional partnership," Brennan explained to Booth in great detail, but he was only half listening. She sighed. "You should like it; it's very interesting and helpful. Not many people know what to do in hazardous situations."

"Yeah, well, if I wanted to be helpful in hazardous situations, I would have studied to become a doctor and then specialized myself as an EMT. I don't work in health care; I'm a cop!" The group was dividing itself into pairs again and Booth quickly claimed Brennan as his, by placing his hands on her small shoulders.

"EMT's are mostly nurses and volunteers," Brennan countered. "You should see the benefit of this training. It allows you to save me with something other than your gun."

Booth narrowed his eyes at the top of her head. "Thanks, Bones." He could not help himself as he gently raked his fingers through her hair once, so it fell over her shoulder like a brilliant curtain.

The firefighter appointed two people whom Booth recognized from the FBI's Hoover Building. They worked on the floor underneath his. They were asked to enter the staged living room. "Okay, so imagine your partner is sitting here, on the couch reading a newspaper," the firefighter directed the woman to sit down. The man was led to the tiny kitchen behind it. "You're trying to woo her by making one of your best recipes, but then" Firefighter Ed took the lid off a pan and then used a lighter to start a small fire. "…it literally goes up in flames. What do you do?" The man grabbed a smothering blanket, which was conveniently hanging from a hook next to the improvised kitchen. Wrapping his hands around the edges of it until they were covered by the material, he approached the pan and carefully wrapped it around the circumference of the pan. He took a step back and Ed smiled. "Good!"

Brennan watched in fascination, while Booth checked his phone behind her back. He glanced around from time to time to make sure that nobody noticed that he was not paying attention. This training reminded him of high school. Texts, lectures and exercises… that pottery class they took some time ago had been more challenging!

"We're going to kick it up a notch," Ed announced. "Please, kill the lights!" Within a matter of seconds, the entire room was covered in darkness. Brennan looked behind her, and noticed the very bright light coming from Booth's cellphone. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and shook her head. Booth put his phone back in his pocket and smiled sheepishly.

The firefighter turned on a few lights in the living room and picked two other candidates. This time, both the man and the woman sat down on the couch. "Another romantic setting. You're both watching television, drinking a glass of wine together and then the curtain catches fire." Ed walked over to the other side of the room and started a fire in a deep round fire container. "Let's just assume that there's curtains here and that there was a lamp burning against it. What now?"

The woman jumped up from the sofa and turned towards the man. "Get out of the room, now!" She demanded. The man had to chuckle, but did as he was told. The woman hurried to grab the extinguisher from the kitchen and dragged it over to the fire. Aiming it at the base of the fire, she pushed the handle. A white cloud emerged that instantly put the fire out. It made a deafening sound and Booth saw Brennan cringe in shock. He steadied her by placing his hands on her waist. She smiled and he let go of her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is exactly how you should treat a small to medium fire. Thank you." The couple received a small applause from the other trainees as they stepped out of the living room and went back to their spot. "Now, we're going to try something different." Booth yawned and tried to cover it with his hand, but Ed had already spotted them. "You two, in the back. Come on up! Maybe it will help to keep you awake."

"Woah! Us?" Booth questioned, pointing from him to Brennan. Ed nodded. Booth swallowed nervously, but before he could think of an excuse, Brennan had already grabbed his arm and dragged him forward.

Ed smiled at them in a friendly manner, but Booth continued to feel uncomfortable with everybody staring at him. "Okay, so you have had a long dag and you have fallen asleep on the couch," he directed Brennan. Brennan laid down on the sofa and covered herself with the blanket that laid there. "You were upstairs, tucking your children into bed. You heard the fire alarm go off downstairs." Booth was moved to stand next to a wooden door that would lead into the living room. "All lights are off." The firefighter flicked all the lamps into room off. He pressed a different button, which suddenly projected flames on the back wall of the room, as well as a little on the side walls.

"The fire has already spread around here." Ed said, shoving several fire containers in different places around the room and lit them. "Your imaginary fake Christmas tree that caught fire has already melted. What kind of a fire is this?"

Booth's mouth went dry. Kind of fire? A domestic one? A Christmas tree one? "A big one?" Booth tried.

"Indeed. So how do you respond?"

Booth was glad that he remembered something after all. "Don't attempt to extinguish it. Focus on getting everyone away from the fire." Booth looked past the door. Damn, it really was dark. The small container fires and the projected flames on the wall barely allowed him to see his Bones, pretending to be asleep.

"Show me," Ed said, stepping to the side so everyone could see Booth. He crouched down and raised his hand to open the door very slightly. He waited.

"To make sure I don't get a jet flame in my face and kill myself in the process," Booth explained to the audience. After a couple of seconds, he got up and entered the room through the door. He squinted his eyes and ran towards Brennan. "Bones, wake up. The room is on fire." Brennan opened her eyes.

"Your girl is unconscious. The smoke and lack of oxygen have gotten to her. You can't wake her up. You'll have to think of something else," Ed said. With a tiny smile, Brennan closed her eyes again. Booth looked around and thought for a while. "Hurry up! Every second counts!" Looking back at Brennan, Booth yanked the blanket off her body and threw it to the ground. He gently dragged her off of the couch and laid her down on the blanket. Booth grabbed the edges of the blanket and dragged her away. He narrowed his eyes against the flames in the dark and maneuvered her past the containers and towards the front of the living room. "Alright," Ed said. "You may both get back in the class."

Booth held out his hand to Brennan, so she could get up from the ground and rise to her feet again. She accepted it gratefully and then walked away from the staged room together, to their previous place in the back.

"So, who thinks that this was the right way to respond in a fire like this?" Ed asked the group. Only one person raised her hand, but she quickly withdrew it again as soon as she noticed that nobody agreed with her. "What went wrong in this scenario?"

"He should have just dragged or carried her out using his own strength. That blanket could just catch on fire as well," someone responded.

Ed shook his head. "No. That blanket was very good, actually. If he had to lean over to drag her, he would only limit his ability to overlook the room. Also, the soles of her shoes would drag across the ground and slow him down greatly. If he carried her, it would be much heavier for him and he could easily fall down. Do realize that there is a lot of smoke in the room, in reality. Neither of them are able to function to their best abilities. Dragging someone on a blanket is a quick, not too heavy way to transfer an unconscious person across the room. Anything else?"

"He didn't call 911!"

"He doesn't need to. There's a fire alarm in the house, alerting the emergency services immediately. Naturally, if there is no alarm in the building or if it's not working, you should call them. Thank you, but that's not what I mean." Ed scanned the room with questioning eyes.

Much to Booth's surprise, it was Brennan who spoke up. "He shouldn't have saved me." Booth's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"The fire had already spread so far. In reality, the roof could have collapsed in the time he was trying to roll me onto that blanket. He would have died or suffocated with me. He'd have saved his own life if he had opened the door, looked inside and then closed it again. I was a lost case," Brennan said. Booth's bottom lip started to quiver.

"She's right," the firefighter said. "You can get someone out of a medium fire, but not one as big as this one. Also, the temperature in the room would have been so high, that any dust or smoke they would have inhaled, would be fatal in half an hour. Their lungs will burn from the inside and shut down."

The firefighter continued to give some further explanation, but Booth turned himself to look at Brennan. She looked back at him questioningly. "Bones… I'm sorry, but I-I… I could never…. Not even in my right mind! I wouldn't be able to—"

"Sh," Brennan cut him off. Placing two hands against his chest, she gently pushed him backwards, away from the group. She found a small place between two cupboards where she led him to.

Booth turned back to her as soon as he nearly walked into the wall. The lights were still down and darkness surrounded him in the form of that damned wall, the cupboards and Brennan's warm body. "I'm sorry, but I will never be able to do that. I can't leave you behind. I promised you, I'd die for you. There is no use for me saving myself if there's no more you. If I can't get you out of a fire, I will stay with you. Until the end. Really, Bones, I—"

For once, they were grateful to be in a dark public place, because it allowed Brennan to lean into him and cut him off by pressing her lips against his. She kissed him soundlessly as her hands came up to cup both sides of his face. They couldn't see each other clearly, but they could feel each other. Booth's arm wrapped itself around Brennan's waist and pulled her closer against him. The kiss deepened and the darkness only seemed to heighten their sensations and awareness of each other's movements.

Brennan broke the kiss and dropped her hand back to his chest, until it rested over his heart. "I know exactly about the white knight that you are," he placed one of his own hands over hers. "That's why you shouldn't be a firefighter either." This time, it was Booth who lowered his head to kiss her. Brennan smiled against his lips and she soon felt him mirror that expression.

"Oh, baby, but I'll definitely fight yours." Their kissing got more heated as Booth's hands made their way around her back and slipped underneath her shirt to touch her soft, naked skin.

And then suddenly, without warning, there was light again.

* * *

><p><em>Ally's Note: I really enjoyed writing this one, I don't know why. My trainings were never that sexy…<em>

_Tomorrow: There is the very annoying theme of 'Seeking solace'. And it's annoying because I have a date, so I'll probably will be all floaty and romantic afterwards. Right now, I'm leaning towards a baby with a medical condition (I can't switch nursing mode off, sorry), but what would YOU like to read for this theme? I'm not going to write a post-Vincent chapter, though. There have been hundreds of these already._


	5. Seeking Solace

** The Daily Theme**

Chapter 5: Seeking solace

_Written way after midnight, so standard warnings apply: not proofread, not checked for any plot inconsistencies or any out of character dialogues. Those who've read my other story 'Hiatus' might recognize this storyline._

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><p>Booth came home much later in the evening than he had originally intended to. Dragging his feet up to the door, he took a deep breath of fresh air before inserting his key in the lock and opening it. He paused in the doorway, as he heard the sound of a female groaning down the hall. As he listened carefully, he heard a different husky voice announce that he could call a phone number to have all of his needs met by one of their available girls. They all had conveniently just turned eighteen a month ago. Shaking his head, he realized that it was one of the late night commercials on television. Nine out of ten times, it meant that Bones had fallen asleep in front of it.<p>

He closed the front door behind him very carefully and kicked off his shoes. Hanging his coat on a hook in the hallway, Booth walked on until he reached the living room. He found Brennan lying on her back on the couch, a pillow supporting her head. She had a blanket draped over her lower body. A little baby girl rested on her stomach. Brennan's hand laid on the baby's back unconsciously, rising and falling as she inhaled and exhaled. The baby was facing away from him, but Booth could tell from a distance that she was sleeping too. Good; Brennan still needed her rest.

Booth tiptoed into the living room and reached for the remote control on the table in front of the couch. With the press of a single button, the moaning stopped and the screen went black. Booth admired Brennan and the baby for a minute. They both looked so peaceful, that it was almost a shame to disturb them. He decided to gently lift his daughter from Brennan's belly and put her in a crib. He would then come back for Brennan and gather her up in his arms and carry her to their own bed.

As he hovered over them, Booth gently took hold of Brennan's hand and attempted to replace it from the baby's back to lie beside her, but she quickly opened her eyes and looked up at him sleepily. "Booth?"

"Yeah," he answered, letting go of her hand as he knelt down next to the couch and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Yeah baby, it's me. I ran a little late, I'm sorry."

Brennan's eyes shifted to the baby on her stomach, before she stretched her arms and legs. "That's okay. These things happen." She looked back up at Booth. "What time is it?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. He just wanted to continue gazing into her eyes. He leaned into towards her again and pecked her lips. "Bedtime. Shall I take her from you?" With a single finger, he caressed the top of the baby's head. She just continued to sleep peacefully, undisturbed by her father's actions.

"I really wish you wouldn't. She's kept me up all day. Constantly crying and she hardly drank anything… I think she really missed you." Brennan smiled weakly. "Only one week on this earth is what it took for her to become attached to you. I've held her all day and she just wouldn't fall asleep until now."

Booth shook his head guiltily. "I never should have left you alone for so long."

Brennan reached out with her free hand and cupped Booth's chin, making him look at her. "Like I said, it's alright. We are both alright, now. I'm just so tired that I really don't want to risk waking her again…," he smiled at her warmly and Brennan could practically feel a magnetic pull between their lips. "H-how was it?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders and stood up straight again as his legs started to cramp up. "The drive to the nursing home was long and the message of the nurses was short. Short, but very clear." Booth did not want to think back on his day, before he came home. He wanted to enjoy this domestic setting and be with his two favorite girls in the world.

"What did they say?" Brennan wanted to know. Booth looked away. He did not want to lie to her and keep things from her either. If she really wanted her to tell him, he would.

"Before we get into that, is it okay if I pull the cushions from the couch and lie down next to you?" Maybe feeling her body so close to his would sooth the thunder in his heart a little. She usually did. No one could have such a calming effect on him like his Bones or his baby.

Brennan nodded. "Of course. I would like that." She helped him remove the cushions from beside her on the couch. Once enough space had been created for him, Booth climbed onto the couch, very careful not to hurt her, and he laid down on his side next to her. Their eyes met briefly as Booth placed his arm around her waist.

"Pops' results for that dementia screening indicate that he indeed is suffering from some sort of cognitive impairment." Booth shrugged his shoulder lightly. "He got some dates and places wrong, as well as a figure he had to draw." Brennan looked at him in concern as he frowned. "…and when he was asked to write down 'this is a simple test' , he wrote 'get take-out' instead. I just don't understand, Bones! Pops was always so sharp and clear-minded. How could someone like him get dementia?"

Brennan swallowed nervously. "Anyone could get it." She shifted her shoulders a little, so that she could rest her head against his chest. "Do they know what kind of dementia?"

Booth shook his head. "I had to sign some papers for a geriatrist. He'll determine type and stage. Also, they announced that I'm going to have to look for a different place for pops. He's going to need 24-hours a day watch in the future. He basically needs to be locked up before he starts getting lost at night and walking out on the streets in his underwear. This nursing home can't do anything in a situation like that, except for maybe call the cops."

Brennan listened intently. "We'll find him the best psycho-geriatric nursing home in the state, Booth, I promise. I'll check the laptop tomorrow and I'll help you every step of the way. Money is not an issue."

"Yes, it is, Bones. He's my pops and we also need to save up for our little girl…"

"But he's my grandfather-in-law and this is his great-granddaughter. I like him. She would like him to. He would probably love her. I want to help. Let me help, Booth, please. Money is least of our worries."

Booth pecked her nose when he saw her eyes shimmer with unshed tears. Postpartum, Brennan was even more emotional than she had been when she was pregnant. He caught her crying over the littlest things and even over nothing sometimes. This response was one that he recognized even from before she got pregnant. "Bones, that heart of yours is so much warmer than you let on, sometimes."

She looked up at him. "Does that mean that you'll let me help him with money?"

He kissed the top of her head and yawned. "It means that we're going to sleep on it and I'm not so sure that we should introduce Abby to him anymore. What if he suddenly forgets who she is and then panics while he's holding her?"

"Booth, it can take months up to years for people with early signs of dementia to actually lose all recognition of familiar faces."

He closed his eyes and unconsciously tugged her closer to his side. "Let's hope so…"

It was quiet for a few minutes, before Brennan spoke up again. "Booth, I just want you to feel solaced. How can I do that?"

Booth refused to open his eyes as he smiled into her hair. "By being here. I find solace in holding you and looking at our baby girl. We're a family now, Bones. By just saying that out loud, I feel better."

"Our own Booth family…"

"Exactly." Brennan smiled at this reply. She never thought she could be a family. She never imagined that she would ever want to be one either. Truth be told, as she was lying here on this uncomfortable little couch, with Booth next to her and her daughter sleeping on top of her, she realized that this was happiness money could never buy.

* * *

><p><em>Ally's Note: I've done my deed of the day. A little fluffy, because of my date today. Hope you don't mind. <em>

_Tomorrow: The theme will be 'Break Away'. Everybody, raise your hand if this brings Kelly Clarkson's song to your mind. I have no specific idea for this one yet. Any suggestions? _


	6. Break Away

** The Daily Theme**

Chapter 6: Break Away

_A little therapeutic writing for myself, as I just learned my youngest cat died in an accident two days ago. My Twitter friends knew this already and I want to thank each and every one of them for their kind words and support. Sorry, if this chapter is not as good as you'd usually expect from me. _

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><p>"I'm acting like a fool," Brennan said, wiping away the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her vest. Booth sat down next to her, on the couch in her office and placed his hand over hers, reassuringly. "I'm sorry." She had not meant to break down at work and she had been able to remain cool and collected for most of the day, but she burst out in tears the second that Booth had entered the lab.<p>

Booth laced his fingers through hers and have her hand a gentle squeeze. "No, you're not. I think you're acting very naturally," she looked up at him questioningly, with bloodshot eyes. Booth suppressed the urge to gather her up in his arms and kiss all the tears away. "…like any new mother would."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't a mom yet, three months ago, and back then I could still do my job." She leaned in towards him and placed her head against his shoulder. "I don't know how Angela did it. She was fine when she returned to work! Why aren't I?" She took a deep breath.

"I'm sure she had her moment of crying in the bathroom, too." Booth wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed it soothingly.

"I just don't know how I got like this; from being impervious and independent to being someone who cries for her child at work. It's ridiculous!" She sniffled her nose and wiped her eyes one more time. Several case files had piled itself up on her desk during her maternity leave. Her inbox was full of emails. She actually had to postpone her deadline for her next book, because there was no way she could jiggle it all around anymore.

Booth kissed the top of her head. "Trust me, Bones, everything will be fine. It's normal that you feel like you break away from our baby girl now that you're getting back to work. I mean, you've carried her for nine months, gave birth to her and then spent another two and a half months taking care of her. Today is the first day that you're apart from her for longer than an hour." Brennan raised her head from his shoulder so she could look at her. "You'll see that it will get easier as time passes, I promise."

"You'd think I'd have gotten used to the idea right now, of having to leave her during the day. I mentally prepared myself for weeks, but I just keep thinking… What if she starts crying again? Will she get her tummy rubbed, the way we always do? What if she gets sick? Or worse, what if she's not placed in her crib the right way and then dies of crib death? I may have forgotten some instructions—"

"Bones, the manual you wrote was crystal clear. Besides, we hired a very qualified and competent nanny. I'm sure she'll know what to do." Booth felt an overwhelming sense of love for Brennan at that moment. Indeed, she had changed a lot. She had learned about emotions now and she did her best to please Booth and their baby at all times. She was not a loner anymore. Booth had watched her as she transformed into a beautiful and caring person.

Brennan hoped that Booth was right. She trusted him intimately with pretty much everything; his gut feelings were usually right. She looked back at her full desk. How was she ever going to work through all of that? "I don't think I'll be done by five this afternoon…"

Booth's eyes followed hers over to her desk and shook his head. "Oh yes, you are. At five p.m. sharp, I'm picking you up and we're going home to our little baby girl. Work could wait during your maternity leave, so it sure as hell can wait another night." Booth checked his watch before he got up from the couch and extended his hand towards her. "And now, we're going to have lunch. At our place, cause you know, I forgot to bring my wallet today." It was a blatant lie, and they both knew it.

"And while we're there, I could give our daughter a kiss," Brennan said, smiling. She instantly felt better.

"Exactly," Booth agreed as Brennan grabbed his hand and got to her feet.

"What about breaking away from her?" Brennan asked, cocking her head to the side.

Booth reached forward to gently sweep her hair back behind her shoulder. "You don't have to; you're her mother. Besides we're only going there because of my wallet…"

"You…you're missing her too!" Brennan raised a playful eyebrow at him at the realization, or rather, accusation. Booth replied with a grin of his own as he ran his hands slowly up and down her arms.

It was true. Looking at Brennan, he missed the sight of her holding their daughter and feeding her. He missed the lovely smell that babies always had. He missed hearing the sounds she made whenever he cooed her. Even though he had been working already, today it had suddenly hit him that he would not come home to both of them in their bed anymore. "Just a teeny-tiny peek at her wouldn't hurt me, no."

Brennan chuckled at his confession and quickly pecked his lips before linking her arm through his. Together, they strolled out of the lab and headed towards Booth's car. Actually _eating_ lunch was not on the forefront of their minds.

* * *

><p><em>Ally's Note: I hope you like this chapter and that me grieving over my cat has not damaged the quality too much. Strange how much losing a pet can feel like the loss of a family member. The fact that someone hit her with hisher car and then left her to die seems so inhumane to me. Someone else then mistook her for their family cat and buried her in their garden. When their own cat returned that night, they did nothing, until they came across one of my 'missing-posters' days later. I've been too sad and too angry to write for that reason, which is why I skipped posting for two days. _

_Several of you have been asking, so I'll tell you all here that I'm working on the next chapter of Jump Start. It just takes a little time with my eye, because it's a long chapter and I have to get the medical facts right._

_Tomorrow: The theme will be 'heaven'. I'm really hating that theme right now (because of my dead cat), but for B&B I can probably come up with something very fitting for them. _


	7. Heaven

**The Daily Theme**

Chapter 7: Heaven

_Baby's name is stolen from a oneshot I wrote before, called 'One Sweet Love'. As it means 'father's joy', I think the name is perfect for Booth and Brennan's little girl._

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><p>"Mommy is crying a lot," Three-year old Abigail Booth remarked as she watched Brennan from a short distance. She was sitting on her father's arm as he held her up against his chest. Her mother was standing in front of a big hole in the ground with a large brown coffin in it. Every now and then she would wipe her eyes as she spoke in adult words which Abigail could not yet understand.<p>

Booth was keeping a close eye on his wife, as well as trying to keep their daughter from fussing. At this age, it was still hard for her to grasp the meaning of death and understanding the permanence of it. He had tried to explain it to her several times, but she kept asking when they were going to see grandpa again. "That's because mommy is saying goodbye to grandpa, her own daddy, because he is in heaven now."

Abigail frowned. "Then we'll go visit him in heaven! Then mommy doesn't have to cry anymore."

Booth looked back at his daughter with a smile. She was the perfect mix of him and Brennan. She had her hair and his chocolate brown eyes. She enjoyed watching Discovery Kids with Parker as well as play soccer with her father in the yard. She was very clever for her age and often searched for solutions to problems in an uncomplicated way that only young children could. "Heaven isn't a place that we can just reach by car of plane, Abby. Only people who are very old and sick can go there, after they die." She was too young and carefree to learn about accidents and murder yet, so Booth chose to leave that out of his explanation.

"How long before we go there?" Abigail asked, impatiently tapping her father's shoulders with her hands. She was becoming a bit fidgety and Booth knew that it had to do with her missing her afternoon nap.

"Not for a very long time," Booth switched her to his other arm.

Abigail cocked her head to the side as her father looked past her to stare at Brennan. Angela was standing next to her and had wrapped a supporting arm around her. Booth wished he could soothe the tears away, but the death of Max Keenan had hit her hard. Being a husband and a patient father proved to be very difficult in a situation like this. "Not even after a million years?"

Booth tugged at her little ponytail teasingly. "Maybe, after a million years…"

It was quiet for a few seconds, before Abigail started again. "What is heaven like?''

Booth swallowed nervously and lowered his eyes. He did not want to disturb Brennan's speech, but if he chose to ignore his daughter, she would disturb her for him. In a soft voice, Booth spoke: "Heaven is a place for all the good people who have died on earth. It's a place where only good things exist. After a long life, people can rest there forever, like grandpa."

Abigail thought for a while, trying to take it all in. It was a bit hard for her to form an image of what heaven was supposed to be. "What does heaven look like?" Booth exhaled slowly. She was asking rather smart questions for a three year old. He was going to be in big trouble by the time she turned seven…

"Nobody really knows, Abby. Some people think it's a place above the sky, in the clouds. It's a secret place where only really good people can go and it's so beautiful that they never want to leave. That is why no one can tell for certain what it looks like." He would go out and buy her a children's book with posters about heaven, later. It was hard for him to make her understand in words.

Abigail continued pondering her father's words and Booth smiled at the characteristic way her eyebrows furrowed together. She then looked back up at her father with concentrated face. "Do cats go to heaven too? And can you take things with you to heaven?"

Booth chuckled. "All good living things go to heaven, including cats. Maybe you can take small things to heaven, like the clothes you are buried with." He did not want to risk possibly upsetting his little girl by saying something less reassuring. Being good at this age meant nothing more to her than listening to her parents and finishing her dinner.

"Where do bad people go?"

Booth swallowed nervously. If he was going to explain about hell and purgatory and flaming fires, Bones was going to have his head. That, and he would have to sleep in the guestroom, until Abigail would have forgotten all about it. "Some other place." Well, at least that was not a lie.

At that moment, Brennan stepped back from the grave and turned around. With red-rimmed eyes, she made her way through the gathering of people and walked over to Booth and Abigail. She tried to fake a smile, but Booth could tell just how sad she was feeling at the moment. The little girl fell silent as Booth leaned in sideways to brush his lips against her forehead ever so slightly. "Are you okay, Bones?"

Another tear escaped her eye as she nodded. "I'm fine," she said, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "It's the circle of life." She placed her hands on her expanded stomach for emphasis. Booth felt worried and with his one free hand, he pulled her close against his side. At seven months pregnant, this was not the kind of stress he wanted for her.

"That may be, but he's also your father. You're allowed to feel bad and grieve." Brennan nodded and inhaled Booth's scent deeply as she leaned against him.

"It's been a long time coming."

"Don't feel bad, mommy," Abigail spoke up unexpectedly. "You can see him again when you go to heaven!" This time, Brennan's smile was genuine. She stepped closer so she could press a kiss to her daughter's cheek.

"You're so smart. Exceptional for someone who has yet to turn four." Abigail raised three fingers up in clarification. Her father had taught her that. In a month, she could add another finger to that. Brennan then looked back up at Booth and spoke in a very soft voice. "I'm exhausted and not feeling very well."

Booth nodded and squeezed his arms around both of his girls, his family. "Alright. Let's get all three of you home and in bed." They said their goodbyes to everybody present and Brennan accepted more condolences. Feeling physically and emotionally tired, she let Booth pull her close against him as he led them across the graveyard and towards the car.

"I'm not tired at all!" Abigail argued as they left, but her eyes closed on their own account as soon as her father buckled up her car seat. She dreamed of heaven and her grandfather, and learned that he was in a very good place now.

* * *

><p><em>Ally's Notes: First of all, a big thank you for all your sweet comments on the loss of my cat. It has really made me feel better today. The healing process has begun, I guess. Anyway, with my own loss, this seemed an appropriate way to deal with 'heaven' as a theme, without making it all tragic. I hope you liked it.<em>

_Tomorrow: The theme will be 'innocence'. I have a humorous idea in my head that has to do with Brennan and Booth going to their six-week postnatal check. The question you should ponder is: how 'innocent' will that be, really? _


	8. Innocence

**The Daily Theme **by AllysonH

_AllyH's Note: With great thanks to my Twitter friends, because they helped me translate words that I now know in Spanish, but not in English anymore. Wasn't I actually supposed to be Dutch…?_

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><p><span>Chapter 8: Innocence<span>

Brennan leaned into Booth as they sat on a bench in the playground together. "Why are you staring at that boy like that?" She had noticed him glaring at a little boy in the sand box. He was just playing with a toy car, spinning circles around Christine. Christine was sitting in the sandbox, cooing happily and shaking her arms up and down. A small dolphin charm hung from a silver bracelet around her wrist, dangling along with her movements.

"Like what?" Booth asked, never taking his eyes off of the boy. It was a young boy, but he was walking rapidly. He had big bright eyes that lit up as he twirled around Christine. His hair was a light brown and he kept wiping it away from his eyes. Did his mother's hairdresser die recently?

Brennan raised her eyebrows. "Like you're about to shoot him." Her eyes trailed down to his waist. "You didn't bring your gun to a playground, did you?" Her hands followed the path of her eyes and they came to rest on his lap.

Booth however, was still very distracted by the boy jumping around his daughter. He narrowed his eyes. "He took Christine's toy!" The boy suddenly let himself drop to the ground, causing some sand to whip up on the clothes of the little girl. Christine reached forward towards the boy, but she could not get far enough to grasp anything.

"It's just a little boy," Brennan said, with a small laugh. "Look, they're just having fun. Christine is smiling…and so should you." She nudged him gently with a bump of her shoulder against his. Booth finally turned his head to look at her. "Come on, this is our one day off in the middle of the week! We should all be enjoying ourselves."

Booth glanced back at his daughter and saw how the boy kindly offered the car back to little Christine. She chirped something unintelligible before she threw the toy down in the sand again, laughing at the little boy. Booth smiled. "Yes, I know."

Brennan squeezed his leg affectionately. "They're just kids, Booth. They don't mean any harm. Look at how good she is at sharing," Brennan said, pointing in Christine's direction. She had grabbed a handful of sand and poured it on the boy's leg. He immediately got up to dust himself off.

"Outstanding. You're going to be the one who gets to wash all the sand off of her afterwards, Bones. Really. Why was this a good idea again?" Booth was smiling though, as he leaned back against the bench.

Brennan laughed. "Because the weather outside was so nice." True, there was not a single cloud in the air today and the sun was shining pleasantly on the bare skin of their arms. "And also so we could witness different parenting styles and realize that our child is very innocent." Brennan nodded towards a mother standing a few feet away from them. A girl was clutching her skirt and screaming real loud as she stomped her feet. The girl refused to quiet down until the mother handed her some candy from her purse.

Booth shook his head at the sight. "Innocent? Christine always starts crying just when we're about to enjoy some alone time together. That's not innocent. That is a baby demanding attention." He chuckled as he spoke.

Brennan sat up a little straighter. "You know what else isn't very innocent?"

The devilish look on her face made Booth grasp the hands that had been resting on his lap quick. "No Bones, not here. There are kids around. And a lot of adults." He looked around the playground to make sure nobody had been looking their way.

"No, not that!" Brennan retreated her hand and then bend sideways to open the cooler that she had insisted on bringing along. She took out two plastic bottles that she had wrapped in tin foil for the occasion. She handed one to Booth, before opening her own.

"What is this?" Booth asked as he watched Brennan take a large sip.

"It's Ice Tea," she replied, turning her head to watch little Christine slap her tiny hand against the boy's slightly larger one. The boy smiled. Brennan estimated him to be about two to three years old. Christine was only ten months, but she was obviously enjoying the attention.

Booth, in the meanwhile, looked at the bottle in his hand in disgust. "Ice Tea? Of all the things we have in our fridge, you bring Ice Tea to the playground?" He knew that Brennan knew that he much preferred a coke over any other soda. However, he was getting a little thirsty. He opened the bottle and took a large gulp of the liquid, trying to limit the taste as much as he could by quickly swallowing it down.

"Bones!" He called, sitting up straight and looking at the bottle.

"What?" she asked calmly as she took another the sip and closed her eyes as she let her head fall back to gaze up at the sun.

Booth was looking from her, to the bottle and back. "This is beer!" Brennan opened her eyes again and shrugged her shoulders. "You know that drinking alcohol is public is against the law, right?"

Brennan smiled back innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

Booth grinned in amusement, before he sat back again and took another, this time slower, sip of his cooled 'soda'. "Ah," he exclaimed. "This is the good life."

"Yes, it is," Brennan agreed.

Booth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But just so you know, I don't want you to teach our daughter stunts like these. Let her keep her innocence." He gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

Brennan looked up with a sly smile. "Until she's sixteen?"

"Twenty-two," he corrected. Their eyes met and they held each other's gaze for a few seconds, before Booth decided to lean in towards her face so he could kiss her. Right before their lips were about to meet, they were interrupted by a cry they knew all too well. They pulled apart to see their daughter lying with her back flat on the sand. The toy car was discarded somewhere to the edge of the sand box and the boy was quickly running away from her.

"He pushed her!" Booth said in disbelief.

Brennan chuckled. "Or she just fell over." She placed her beer, correction 'Ice Tea', on the ground and got up from the bench, stretching herself. "Duty calls. Again." Booth watched as she walked towards their daughter and picked her up from the ground. She sat the little girl on her lower right arm and held her against her shoulder, as she spoke words to her that he could not make out from there in a soothing voice.

Innocent or breaking the law, Booth realized at that moment that he felt dangerously happy.

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><p><em>AllyH's Note: Because when I'm back with writing, I really am back. Two story updates in one day time should sound like a personal record, but unfortunately it's not. I did it quite often in my Hiatus-writing days.<em>

_So, finished ranting, here's the next theme: Drive. I don't have a specific idea for it yet. Some troubles with car navigation maybe? Or a car breaking down (at a wonderfully convenient time, of course)? _

_So, for fanfic updates you can follow me on Twitter as AllysonHale. For all your personal messages, rants, comments and love, find me there as TwoHaleTwins (if you didn't know yet: I'm a twin), where I'll be sure to reply to you. Until next time (in whatever fic I'll be updating next)!_


	9. Drive

**The Daily Theme**

_AllyH's Note: This one is for my Twitterfriend Cleaninggirl, because she specifically requested angst…or maybe not. ;) I will tell you straight up that this little piece is NOT what you think._

Chapter 9: Drive

"_I'm driving 95 and_

_I'm driving you away and_

_I shine a little more lately"_

_-Anna Nalick 'In The Rough'_

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><p>Why wasn't he stopping the car? Through her tears, which she kept wiping away furiously, Brennan found herself wondering why he had not pulled over. The old Booth would have, she was sure of it. He would have reached out to her to grab her hand or to wrap his arm around her shoulder. Now there was nothing but a distance between them, physically and emotionally, as he drove and she was crying in the passenger's seat. She never should have done what she did. It changed everything between them.<p>

"Are you _sure _you don't want me to call someone for you?" From the corner of her eye she noticed that he glanced sideways at her, for what felt like the first time since she bursted into tears this night.

"I already told you that you don't have to. I will be fine," she answered, but only half of it was true. The one person that she needed to be with her right now was sitting right next to her, but somehow it felt like he was already gone and a thousand miles away from her. "I can adjust."

"I know you can. And you will. You are strong," Booth said. Truth be told, he did not really know what else to say to her. He wanted to console her, but that one thing that she needed to hear from him, he could not give to her right now. Booth reached forward, next to his steering wheel, to change the channel of the radio to something more upbeat. He knew she liked that.

Brennan looked outside through the window. Maybe it was for the better. If he hugged her, maybe she would only start crying even more. Love was like an addiction, she had found. The only way to get over it, was to stop it completely and distance yourself from that person. No one had said it would be easy. Not even the universe.

'_Cause I've told you once, now I've told you twice, we gon' light it up like it's dynamite.' _Booth frowned at the radio. Forming normal English words was a challenge apparently. He saw that Brennan had turned herself a way, towards the window. Her shoulders were slumped forward in defeat. Not even music would help in her case. _'I came to move, move, move, move…' _Booth turned the radio off. Who knew that even tracks on the radio could get scratched and skip over the same word all the time?

"What are you going to do when you get home?" Booth asked, attempting to make a little small talk with her to distract her from the sadness she was feeling.

Get drunk, she thought. "Read," she answered instead. "…or take a bath, maybe."

"A bath…is a good choice." Booth nodded in agreement. "Use nice, semi-hot water and a light a few scented candles. It will help you relax." Brennan did not answer. "I used to do that after I played sports or after I had fight with Rebecca." Booth wanted to kick himself after he had said that. Why would he tell her such a thing? And why now, of all times?

* * *

><p>The rest of the drive to Brennan's place went by in silence. Neither of them dared to speak any more out of fear for any possible emotions that could burden them. When they finally arrived, Booth pulled up into the parking lot as Brennan unbuckled her seat belt.<p>

"Thanks for the ride," she opened the car door and jumped out. As she closed the passenger door, Booth surprised her by getting out on the other side. He slammed the door shut and walked around the hood of the car to get to Brennan. She could not do anything but stand there, clutching her bag in her freezing hands.

"Bones, I'm sorry. I should have discussed this with you first. I'm so sorry I didn't…" Booth started, opening his arms in a gesture of helplessness.

Brennan straightened her pose and lengthened her neck. "It's alright," she managed to croak out. Another sob was caught in her throat and she forced it down with all her might. Breaking down on a parking lot would be very embarrassing. She was not a teen anymore. "I never asked you to stay. I could have. You gave me plenty of chances to do so."

Booth shook his head. "I should've known better. It takes a lot to ask someone to stay behind for you. Especially you. I know you better than to expect that." He took one careful step into Brennan's direction. She still did not move.

"You're only gone for three weeks. Rationally, I know that you'll be back," Brennan answered. She paused to catch her breath again. "But irrationally, I just hate that you'll be away from me. Lately we've been spending so much time together and I just… just don't like this change." What was wrong with her lately? She hardly ever cried, but since a few weeks she could get upset over a simple thing as a sad picture or story. Maybe this was what it is like to finally lose your mind.

Booth took another step towards her. "It is all my fault. I love you. I do. I'm so sorry it took Vincent's death to finally get me to act on it." It was dark outside, but Booth could see her just fine. He approached her even more. He saw Brennan's eyes widen in surprise.

"You love me?"

"Yes! What, did you think that our night together meant? It wasn't just some golden opportunity that I took to get laid, Bones. I really love you. Trust me." Booth finally got close enough to her so he could touch the sides of her upper arms.

"I trust you," she said, but her eyes remained big as they stared back at him. "But it doesn't change the fact that you have to go. Your flight leaves in two hours."

Booth was at a loss for words momentarily, but as he looked her over again and again, and feeling her lean into his hands, he knew what to do. "Come with me."

"What?" Her eyebrows furrowed. Normally, women were not pretty when they did that, but Brennan was an exception to him.

"Come with me, to Peru. Let's go to Jared's wedding together. Have our meals in the sun and share a hotel room. What do you say, Bones?" His eyes lit up like a child seeing a stack of present under the Christmas tree.

Brennan was slightly taken aback. "I can't go." She looked down at her shoes. Another damned tear fell from her eye. Of course she could not go; Booth should have expected this answer. It was way too soon. It was not like they had been dating for a long time or that they ever even discussed taking a break together. "I never filed a request for some time off and Jared never invited me."

Booth sighed in relief. "Then take a sick break for a week. We can leave after that and I will just save up the rest of my vacation days for another time. Please Bones, I want you to come. Please say yes! Jared will be fine with it, I'm sure." Booth had not pleaded like that with someone anymore since the night that she had turned him down. Probably, looking back on this situation later, he would think to himself that he acted like an idiot. If it was effective though, than he did not mind at all.

A small smile made its way to Brennan's face. "I am not prepared. I haven't packed any bags…"

Booth checked his watch. "Well, we do still have…one hour and fifty minutes. We can go inside and grab a few things quickly. Then we can just share my sleep wear." He noticed the smile widened just the tiniest bit. "Any more worries that need reassuring?" He only remembered now that he was still holding her upper arms, so he let her go.

Brennan cocked her head to the side and looked at him thoughtfully as she breathed a deep sigh. "Okay," she said. "Let's do it."

"Yeah?" Booth asked, mimicking her smile but then enlarging it by tenfold.

Brennan nodded. "Let's fly off to Peru together. Tonight."

"Oh, you have no idea how happy you just made me," Booth said. Without thinking, he closed the last bit of distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulder blades as he pulled her closer to him. He leaned down to her face and kissed her on the lips ever so gently. It took a moment for Brennan to register what was happening, before she closed her eyes and kissed him back. She could feel him smile against her mouth as she did so.

It was Brennan who broke the kiss by pulling away ever so slightly. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I'm thinking that maybe we should start packing now."

"You're right," Booth nodded. "Let's go." He let go off of Brennan without warning as he took a quick sprint across the parking lot. "Already one step ahead of you, Bones!" Not that he would get very far without a key to the front door.

Brennan chuckled as she followed him slowly. "I love you too, Booth." It was not a whisper, but not quite loud enough for him to hear either.

* * *

><p><em>AllyH's note: Told you it was NOT what you thought!<em>

_Next theme will be: Breathe Again. Endless possibilities with that one. I'm sure I'll think of something again, like I always do. Have a lovely day, everybody!_


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